The National College of Public Administration’s (NCPAG) new dean, Dr. Estifania A. Co, outlined six major objectives for the next three years, centered on the strengthening both the college’s capabilities and its presence in national discourse. Co was appointed dean in October and will serve a 3-year term.
Review and upgrade. An important part of Co’s plans is a thorough review of the entire curriculum. This includes the expansion of the BA in Public Administration (BAPA) and MA in Public Administration (BAPA) programs.
The review of the BAPA program embraces new and burgeoning fields in public service to make it more comprehensive and far reaching for their graduates. This includes areas like international organizations, the private sector and the voluntary sector.
The MAPA is designed to be marketed to members of the House of Representatives, the Senate, the Philippine General Hospital, the Veterans Memorial Hospital and the Civil Service Commission.
There are also plans for the preparation of a special certificate course on Political Management as a response to the growing demands on leadership and governance.
Another aspect of this upgrade is the physical development of the NCPAG buildings to accommodate the expansion of the new curriculum and the anticipated rise in enrollment. This includes updating and expanding its IT infrastructure to include the entire college as well as the refurbishment and maintenance of the NCPAG building.
The upgrade extends to the NCPAG’s existing publications, specifically the update and online publication of the Philippine Journal of Public Administration.
Faculty incentives. Aside from the physical and curricular improvements, the establishment of an academic incentive program for faculty and REPS is also in the pipeline.
This includes the accession of professorial chairs and similar award granting opportunities for faculty as well as filling in of posts and items for faculty, REPS and staff.
Dean Co also hopes for regular interface between faculty and lecturers through activities and provision of a lecturer’s lounge in the NCPAG, where faculty can relax in during rigorous days of classes.
All of these innovations are in tune with the college’s planned innovations in capacity development and professionalization among REPS and staff.
These initiatives serve to strengthen the NCPAG from the inside to develop a “community of public servants through an integrative approach (mind, soul, body) that would promote wellness through fun, recreation, music, healthy living and profound well-being.”
Drum beating. Co hopes that in the next three years, the NCPAG will take on a greater role in the public arena by undertaking several initiatives that would make full use of its increased capacities.
The college is looking to increase its presence in the media by hosting a weekly radio program (initially on DZUP) on public-affairs issues in partnership with alumni, graduate students, centers and supporters of democratic governance, to be conducted in Filipino.
It is also extending assistance to Muslim scholars on the state of local democracy in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao in partnership with the Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy.
In 2011, there are plans for a lecture series on local governance that would put the emphasis on key issues and challenges facing the Local Government Code of 1991, which will culminate in the 20th anniversary celebration of the local government code. Republic Act 7160 or the Local Government Code provides for greater autonomy and independence of local government units (such as barangays and provincial units).
In 2013, the NCPAG will launch a mid-term assessment of the Benigno Simeon Aquino Administration, through public lecture series as well as the publication of the Aquino Administration’s self- assessment and external assessment. This is expected to be accomplished with support from the Office of the President and the Department of Budget and Management.
Beefing up key national agencies. The NCPAG plans to work with select national agencies (such as the Department of Interior and Local Government and the Department of Agriculture) to enhance their competencies, focusing on each agency’s needs so as to be more effective in their functions as public servants.
Co is full professor, having first joined the NCPAG as a senior lecturer in 1993.
She took up her master’s degree in Public Administration from the NCPAG from 1987–1989, making it to the dean’s list and specializing in organization studies. In 1987 she obtained her doctorate in Public Administration from the NCPAG, specializing in Social Development Administration and topping the Comprehensive Examinations.
Co describes her new position as a conduit for the NCPAG’s different constituents (old/new faculty, Research, Extension and Professional Staff [REPS], students, administrative staff) as well as its alumni, many of whom now have key positions in government.
The deanship, she says, “…means steering the college to contribute to a relevant and meaningful public administration where the college becomes the benchmark of excellence in public administration and governance education and practice.”
—Anna Kristine Regidor